Hammer of the Gods

I've said before, some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield. Similarly, some days you're the hammer, some days you're the nail. Based on today's run, call me Mjolnir.

Last week's run was a little disappointing. I was hoping to turn another sub-40 aerobic loop, and missed by a few seconds. Given that I had only done a flat three miles before, I wasn't too confident that I was running as well as I was hoping. So today I did 10 miles, and instead of sticking to the flats, I did two hilly loops, 5.25 miles each. I turned the watch on when I left the house, but didn't look at it at all during the run, except at the end of that first lap. I wasn't a particularly nice morning, temperatures just above freezing, but with a 20-30 km/h wind out of the north that made things much cooler. It was getting to the point that I was considering either moving to the treadmill or at least changing into warmer gear when I finished, except when I saw the time (41:23), I knew I was having a very good day, and didn't want to break my rhythm.

I stretched out my stride a little more in the second lap, but kept things in the aerobic range. I was moving well, but my breathing never left the 4-4 pattern. The few sections that ran straight into the wind were difficult, with speeds knocked way down, but I wanted to keep things under control. I couldn't have gone faster and kept this breathing, but I definitely could have gone faster. I rolled over all the hills I had to deal with, and made the final stretch to the house. I had still avoided checking my splits, and once I was on the driveway, I stopped the watch and checked the result. 38:11. Sixty-nine seconds faster than I've turned this route. Yesterday was a tough bike ride, I added 12.5 miles to what was supposed to be a rest week, and I spent a good portion of yesterday in a car. End result? A new record. That's a nice way to start the morning.

The frozen hands that were no longer able to squeeze a water bottle at mile 6 were less nice, but it's a fair trade.

Since then, I've been resting, watching hockey, eating cinnamon buns, and getting ready to watch 70.3 Worlds. That's a Happy Easter right there.

Run: 10.5 miles, 41:23/38:11